Planetary nebula
NGC 2610
Planetary nebula
A shell of gas thrown off by a dying Sun-like star, glowing in the ultraviolet light of the hot core at its centre. Within a few tens of thousands of years it will disperse and fade from view. The distance is a statistical estimate, uncertain by 30–50 %.
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 1,600 pc (5.2 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.0 ly |
| Central star | V 15.9 |
| Expansion speed | 14 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G239.6+13.9 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 33m 23.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −16° 08′ 56″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 74° N. South of latitude 74° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 5,219 years ago. At that time the first farming villages were being founded; there was no writing yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 93 million years.